Limerick charities join forces to combat highest suicide rate in Ireland
Treaty Picture: Suicide Prevention 22 Matt The Of One Limerick Of Weston, Collins, Founders Limerick, Liam Burke/press
The collaboration of three life-saving Limerick organisations could help sway the battle against the city’s suicide rates — the highest in Ireland — one of the groups' founders has said.
The comments follow a meeting of Haven Hub, Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention (LTSP), and Limerick Land Search and Rescue with the local council as the three groups agree to look for a joint base.
Leona O'Callaghan, founder of Haven Hub, said Tuesday’s meeting with Limerick City and County Council could be a turning point.
“If this is successful, it will almost certainly save lives. It could turn us from the point where we are leading in suicide numbers, to leading the way when it comes to suicide prevention,” Ms O’Callaghan said.
She said that for the groups to be able to actually deliver their services, which range from suicide prevention right up to search and rescue, they “need to have the four walls”. According to Ms O’Callaghan, the fact they are willing to work together makes that possibility much more likely.
The Haven Hub founder said one thing the three groups agree on is that the suicide rate at the moment is still significantly higher than any of them would like it to be.
The latest available figures released by the CSO show that in 2019, Limerick had the highest suicide rate in the country per 100,000 people.
Matt Collins, chair of LTSP, said the meeting was positive, in that it got the three groups to sit down at one table.
However, following this council meeting and two trips to the Dáil, Mr Collins admitted he was frustrated with the lack of action.
“This is a chance to actually keep people alive, they need to see the importance of that. While we are busy talking, people are dying,” he said.
“We can’t keep ‘banging the drum’ because we are losing good people. Families are losing their children, children are losing mothers and fathers, we’re losing friends. This can’t keep going on,” Mr Collins added.
Mr Collins said one TD, who is from the Mid-West, asked him “whether people are actually jumping the barriers.”.
Calvin Prendergast, who chairs Limerick Land Search and Rescue, stressed their need for a new base.
“We have been operating since 2013, and have only ever had one storage space, a small room. But the room wasn’t suitable. It was damp, and as a result, life-saving equipment was damaged and had to be thrown out,” Mr Prendergast explained.
“With a new base, it would be a place our volunteers can go during search and rescue operations. At the minute, we are working out of our jeep. It will mean we would be able to expand our operations tenfold,” he added.